OUR KAUPAPA PHILOSOPHY STATEMENTEmbedded within our teaching practice are the principles of Te Whaariki, the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum.These are:Empowerment, Holistic Development, Family and Community, Relationships.

Te Whaariki, our guiding curriculum, aspires for children to ‘grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.’PHILOSOPHY/KAUPAPA Our teachers and staff value respectful relationships not only between parents, teachers and children, but also acknowledging the relationship we have and continue to foster within the centre ethos with Jesus Christ and God our Maker. We endeavor to instill in children the knowledge that they are uniquely created as well as valued and loved by Jesus. Stemming from this relationship the ability to value and be a positive member of our community and the larger community of Tauranga CBD is nurtured.

We realise that when we enroll a child within St Peters we are in fact enrolling the whole family. We value the relationships that we build with each member of the family as this allows us greater opportunity to know the children’s’ interest and strengths, respond to those and therefore enhance the learning outcomes for each individual child. To assist us in this endeavor each child/family has a key teacher which helps to enable the process of building up strong meaningful relationships. We encourage the involvement of parents and whanau within the centre. We give children the time to develop their thinking and learning through child initiated play opportunities. These opportunities lead to developmentally appropriate inquiry where children learn many of the dispositions that will underpin their ability to be confident competent lifelong learners.

As teachers we know that learning is an ongoing process and one that is carried out within a community, not only do we encourage children to learn within our community but also the teachers learn alongside the children, parents and other teachers. We consider self review is an integral part of our professional practice and we are constantly guided by biblical principles, Te Whāriki, and current pedagogical research to guide our teaching delivery and practice.